A.G. Gancarski
Gov. Ron DeSantis will be deploying a battalion of the Florida State Guard to the U.S.-Mexico border to deal with what he calls a “total disaster.”
“The goal is to help Texas fortify this border,” DeSantis said, noting it was the first deployment of the group he reformed recently.
Those comments were echoed by the leader of the Governor’s military unit.
“The Florida State Guard is prepared to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with state agency partners in direct support of our brothers and sisters in Texas grappling with an unprecedented surge of illegal immigration along their border,” said Florida State Guard Director Mark Thieme. “The Florida State Guard is postured to deliver rapid emergency response, public safety operations and humanitarian assistance — wherever the need arises.”
DeSantis’ announcement in Jacksonville reflects his continued commitment to spotlighting illegal immigration, a subject he has often revisited in the city, and one that was central to his recent failed presidential campaign.
It was foreshadowed last month, when DeSantis teased sending the State Guard to the border to supplement state efforts over the course of the last few years since Joe Biden was elected President, saying the advantage of the state-run group was it couldn’t be “federalized.”
DeSantis blamed Biden for opening the border, saying the effect was to “invite people to come in.”
“It’s as bad as it’s ever been at the southern border,” DeSantis said, vowing to be “helpful” to Texas.
Whether this deployment is strictly within the State Guard’s mission is an open question. The group’s website suggests a more limited mission: “State guards are authorized under Title 32 of the U.S. Code and operate distinctly from the National Guard. They are state-funded, responsive to the Governor and focused on the needs of their home state.”
It is unclear how an out-of-state deployment comports with that limited scope.
As a presidential candidate, DeSantis said he would not only deploy federal troops to the border, but reserved the right to kill certain crossers.
“If somebody were breaking into your house to do something bad, you would respond with force. Yet why don’t we do that at the southern border? So if the cartels are cutting through the border wall, trying to run product into this country, they’re going to end up stone-cold dead as a result of that bad decision,” DeSantis declared this summer in Texas.
His aggressive immigration agenda included sending U.S. troops into Mexico to combat cartels. It’s uncertain whether that’s the case with this deployment, which will see the State Guard supplement other deployments from Florida.
17 comments
Linwood Wright
February 1, 2024 at 10:37 am
Judging by the photo, looks like physical fitness standards are set pretty low in the DeSantis Brownshirt Brigade.
rick rickstad
February 1, 2024 at 1:27 pm
At least they are helping out
Tom
February 1, 2024 at 10:49 am
So they’ll be standing at the beach on the west coast staring at Mexico from 500 miles away? Him and his effing culture wars. He can’t solve actual problems so let’s just pretend to govern.
Imagine, if you will, that we had a functioning Congress that could pass laws to fix some of these problems – a two year moratorium on political asylum while somebody figures this out would work.
Impeach Biden
February 1, 2024 at 10:51 am
Sad state of affairs when the President will not do his job. It’s up to the individual states Governor’s to pick up the slack. Before you Demo’s come on here to defend Joe’s inaction, remember the Executive Order’s he signed on day one and remember there are laws out there right now that he will not enforce.
MH/Duuuval
February 1, 2024 at 5:45 pm
However, with a bipartisan deal within reach in the Senate DJT decides he needs a winning campaign issue, snaps his fingers, the House leadership says the border can wait until Jan. 21.
Smoke and mirrors larded with deceit.
Treason
February 1, 2024 at 11:12 am
Treasonous
Abcdefii
February 1, 2024 at 11:16 am
Trump told them not to agree to the bi partisan agreement in congress. GOP theatrics to ruin the country
jean solomon
February 1, 2024 at 12:10 pm
lol, RON’S troops look like they could use some hard training; looking at them, i seriously doubt if they could outrun anyone…of course, RON isn’t a good example either..they all need to run a few miles.
rick rickstad
February 1, 2024 at 1:28 pm
they dont need to run just block them at least they are trying
MH/Duuuval
February 1, 2024 at 10:07 pm
Dee enjoys being surrounded by men in uniform. Must make him feel secure.
PeterH
February 1, 2024 at 4:19 pm
I hope they bring some board games and several deck of cards. The Florida taxpayers will provide transportation, hotel housing and three meals a day …… all to enable DeSantis another political stunt.
Pam Willis
February 1, 2024 at 6:56 pm
This whole Republican nominee situation is unprecedented. Trump will likely become the nominee so why is DeSantis acting as though he (DeSantis) is still in the running? Because if the Supreme Court rules that states can remove Trump from their ballots or if Trump is arrested the GOP will need a new nominee. DeSantis is still hopeful that it can be him.
MH/Duuuval
February 1, 2024 at 10:09 pm
You must believe the present Supreme Court will be able to muster a majority and decide against DJT.
Not in this universe.
Sally B
February 2, 2024 at 12:53 am
The Left hasn’t meltdowned down like this since the death of Uncle Joe (aka Joseph Stalin) or perhaps the other historical mass murderers, like Mao or Fidel Castro.
MH/Duuuval
February 2, 2024 at 11:55 am
Nice bot work! NOT.
KathrynA
February 2, 2024 at 9:16 am
So we as taxpayers again pay for another of DeSantis illegal schemes going to another state and a guard accountable only to him with no openness. Sounds pretty facist to me. States do not control federal borders.
Why doesn’t the House provide the funding to help control the border and some of the complex issues contributing to the crisis there? Instead grandstand using our taxpayer money that could help with homelessness, hunger, education, property
Insurance and recovery from hurricanes and new and safer highways ???
MH/Duuuval
February 2, 2024 at 11:57 am
In MAGA world they make the rules and can keep or discard existing laws and traditions as they please. Not a pretty picture, but at least a third of our fellow citizens find themselves enthralled by the prospect of forcing the rest of us to do their bidding, including what to think.
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